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The Federal Communications Commission has expanded its CableCard regulations during the past four years, but the agency says these moves have not accomplished its goal of driving sales of third-party cable-ready navigation devices. The FCC is considering new "AllVid" regulations to spur use of third-party devices.

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Charter Communications, in exchange for the Federal Communications Commission approving a two-year set-top waiver for its downloadable security technology, has offered to do the following: adapt its entire system to all-digital within nine months after the two-year window expires; add broadband Internet with speeds of 100 Mbps or higher in 200,000 new homes within two years of the waiver; and allocate to its customers CableCARDS for TiVo DVRs and other devices that use them until the point when a third-party provider offers a device with downloadable security.

DirecTV has asked the FCC whether its proposed video-navigation rules should apply to hardware designed for streaming-video services such as Netflix as well as for telecom, cable and satellite companies. The FCC's rule -- known as AllVid -- would require them to meet a standard in order to provide universal access to third-party devices that would provide content and other interactive features. DirecTV wants to know if boxes made by companies such as Roku should also meet the standard.

The Federal Communications Commission says Time Warner Cable and Cox Communications violated rules by moving some programming to a digital tier so it would not be available for TiVo and third-party consumer electronics that use CableCards in some areas. The FCC issued fines and ordered the companies to give customers refunds.

In the last nine months, cable companies have deployed more than 4 million set-top boxes that contain CableCard technology. The FCC has mandated the CableCard deployment for most cable firms in hopes of improving the performance of third-party consumer electronics on cable networks.

CableLabs will begin testing Solekai Systems' Tuning Resolver Interface Simulator, or TRIS, which will enable one-way cable-ready devices, such as TiVo DVRs, to access switched digital video channels. Cable companies are looking to offer the resolvers commercially in the second quarter of this year.